Tigers' own Cardinal rule

Wednesday

Mar 24, 2010 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - More progress was made at Klein Family Field on Tuesday night.

Jagdip Dhillon

STOCKTON - More progress was made at Klein Family Field on Tuesday night.

The Pacific baseball team defeated No. 19 Stanford 9-4 before 606 fans to continue its strong start to the season. The Tigers (13-7) are off to their best start since 2006 and beat the Cardinal (10-5) at home for the first time since 1995.

The middle of Pacific's order had its way with Stanford's pitching, as No. 3 hitter Brian Martin scored four runs, cleanup hitter Mike Walker went 2 for 5 with three RBI and No. 5 hitter J.B. Brown went 3 for 4 with two RBI. Coach Ed Sprague praised pitchers John Haberman and Hunter Carnevale for holding the Cardinal to four runs.

Sprague believes the first month of the season indicates the program's improvement since the Tigers went 14-41 in 2008.

"This is what we envisioned for this thing when it started, and we just have to keep it going," Sprague said. "I want our guys to play with the confidence they have now the whole year. We feel like we can play with anybody. We've gotten past playing the uniform, and that was a big issue when I got here. When we played the Stanford's, USC's or Cal State Fullerton's, there was an awe factor, and we've gotten past that."

The Tigers took two of three games last weekend from USC, a program that has won 12 NCAA championships. The three-game series drew a Klein Family Field-record 3,370 fans.

Sprague's record in his seventh season at Pacific is 144-210. His tenure began with great promise when the Tigers had back-to-back 30-win seasons in 2005 and 2006, and opened the on-campus Klein Family Field in April 2006. But the 2007 season was derailed when an off-campus incident led to five players being released from the team.

Now, Sprague has a team equal to the drawing power of the ballpark. Stanford coach Mark Marquess, a former standout athlete at Stagg High, likes what Sprague has built in Stockton.

"He's done a great job," Marquess said. "Everything that has happened here is fantastic. The community should be proud."

Sprague was the starting third baseman on Marquess' national championship teams in 1987 and 1988. And though Sprague said he never could hope to match the energy of his former coach, who turns 63 today, he tries to emulate the rigorous practices Marquess has employed in his 34 seasons on The Farm.

The Tigers begin Big West Conference play on April 1 at Long Beach State. They have talked as a team about making the NCAA Tournament.

Fifth-year senior catcher Joe Oliveira said this team is enjoying itself.

"This is the best it's been since I got here," Oliveira said. "We expect to win every day, and it's fun to be around."